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Old Ohio Pen / Arena District

This
Dispatch aerial photo of the old Ohio Penitentiary, dated 1932, shows 22 acres of
buildings behind the tall stone walls that ran along Neil Avenue on the left, Spring Street at the
bottom and West Street on the right. The prison opened in 1835 and closed in 1984 and housed more
than 5,000 prisoners at one point, including William Sydney Porter, better-known as author O.
Henry.

Put your cursor on the photo to see how the same area looks after the prison was demolished
and the area was developed into the Nationwide Arena District. The photo was taken by
Dispatch photographer by Doral Chenoweth III.